


silk and ribbons

by supersonica



Series: kisses are a far better fate than wisdom [2]
Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: February Kiss Prompt, Let Them Both Be Happy 2k19, Nonbinary Character, Other, Post-Canon, frumpkin doesn't really want to be here but he'll do it because he loves his wizard, icehaven, kiss goodbye, mention of Moonweaver's Ribbons, molly uses he/him, no mention of death, the world's ugliest and most sentimental gift
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-03
Updated: 2019-02-03
Packaged: 2019-10-21 11:46:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,452
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17642192
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/supersonica/pseuds/supersonica
Summary: “I’m fine,” he replied, swallowing down the sob at the back of his throat that always arose whenever he thought about how much he loved this man. “I love you a lot, that’s all. A month is a long time to be separated.”





	silk and ribbons

**Author's Note:**

> 5\. kiss goodbye
> 
> look I'm just doing whatever strikes me for the kiss prompts, please don't expect consistency

02 (kiss goodbye)

 

“You’re sure you have everything?”

“Good gods, Caleb, stop fussing—”

“You have your ticket? And your gloves? And the transmutation heat—”

He was interrupted by a long, loud horn sound, signalling to everyone on the Icehaven Docks that the next barge to Tal’Dorei would be leaving in five minutes. It was a freezing, fresh morning early in Duscar, but though the rest of the passengers began lining up to board the ship, Molly stayed standing in front of his adorably pedantic husband.

“ _ Yes _ , darling.” Molly rolled his eyes at Caleb and flicked his spectacles. 

Caleb, who had been using those spectacles to read a list titled MOLLY TAL’DOREI TRIP, scowled at him. 

“Fine then,” he huffed, “Ignore me. I hope you freeze to death in the Cliffkeep Mountains.”

Molly giggled. There was something about the sight of Caleb, bundled up in at least three sweaters and his oldest coat, nose and cheeks turned rose-pink in the cold, with the tiniest snowflakes in his braided red hair, that warmed Molly to his core. Some days he still couldn’t believe that he was lucky enough to be married to this brilliant, wonderful man. 

It still felt a little miraculous that they had survived so many years adventuring and were finally able to build a life together, here, with their friends, on the edges of what was once the Dwendalian Empire. But they had, and they were, and this morning Molly had woken up feeling warm and loved, to an immortal fey cat wailing outside the window because Caleb had been too— _ preoccupied _ —to let him in last night, and he could honestly say he’d never been happier.   

He knew that, had Caleb’s doctorate program been any more forgiving, Caleb would have been right there with him about to travel to see the Moonweaver’s Ribbons. But if Molly couldn’t enjoy taking his husband to see the Ribbons this year, the next best thing had to be watching Caleb fuss and worry over him for the last two weeks. He really was becoming more like Nott every day.

“I’m sorry, love, but you’re far too cute not to annoy,” Molly said, taking Caleb’s ungloved hand in both his own. “Can you find it in your heart to forgive me?”

Caleb turned his head aside and pretended to keep up the aloof facade he’d spent so many years using. Molly knew him far too well for that to work, however, and knew that the curl at the edge of Caleb’s mouth meant he was trying very hard not to smile.

“I will consider it,” he said, still keeping his eyes glued to the chip shop on the side of the docks, “if you promise to paint the Ribbons for me.”

Molly gave an exaggerated sigh, acting like this one request Molly had promised many times over was an unbearable burden. 

“I suppose I can  _ try _ ,” he said, and was rewarded by Caleb’s winter-bright eyes turning back to him as he allowed himself to smile properly, “although I can’t promise you I’ll remember my lover when I’m all alone on the mountains, surrounded by astonishingly beautiful clerics—and bards—who will in-inevitably f-fall in love with me.” He could barely get the last few works out as he started giggling again, this time laughing at the put-upon expression on his husband’s face. 

Very early on in their relationship, before the rest of their friends even realised why Molly was suddenly so interested in accompanying Caleb to bookshops, Caleb had once told him how safe he felt standing next to Molly:

_ “They don’t notice me,” Caleb had said, looking up from where he was resting his head on Molly’s lap. “They’re too busy staring at you. So I—I feel safer. I don’t have to worry as much, because I know not as many people will pay attention to me.” _

_ He’d snorted. “What if they’re staring because they’ve fallen in love with me and plan to win my hand?” _

_ Caleb had laughed, careful not to dislodge Molly’s fingers from carding through his hair. “So? Didn’t I do the same thing? It doesn’t worry me, Molly, I know—” here he’d taken a deep breath, and Molly knew he was about to say something it had taken Molly a good while to convince him of, “—I know that you love me. And I know that you’re mine.” _

_ Molly had kissed him on the forehead, trying to find words somewhere in the lightness in his mind. “I  _ am  _ yours. Just like you are mine, Caleb Widogast.” _

Molly blinked and he was back in the Icehaven, looking back into Caleb’s concerned eyes. 

“Are you alright,  _ liebling _ ?” Caleb asked, kissing Molly lightly on the nose. “Are you not feeling well?”

“I’m fine,” he replied, swallowing down the sob at the back of his throat that always arose whenever he thought about how much he loved this man. “I love you a lot, that’s all. A month is a long time to be separated.”

It was amazing, Molly thought, that even after being married for two years Caleb’s cheeks still darkened a little when Molly said he loved him. 

Shaking his head, Caleb pulled a small package from his bag, wrapped in plain brown paper. He placed it in Molly’s hands, but before he could say anything more he was cut off by a final horn from the ship, letting them know Molly only had a minute to get on. Caleb rolled his eyes at the ship and let Molly tug him towards the gangplank. Molly started wheeling his luggage on to it before signalling to a deckhand for them to take it off him and turning back around to Caleb.

“Open it when you’re inside,” Caleb said, handing Molly’s second suitcase to a very impatient looking assistant, “and have a good time, and please send me a message when you get there, and if it’s not as good as you hoped you have my teleportation rune so you can use that and—”

He cut himself off, looking up at Molly with such simple adoration in his bright blue eyes that any teasing comment Molly could have made melted on his tongue. 

“And I love you,” he finished instead, smiling. “Go be with your goddess.”

“I love you too,” Molly replied, flinging his arms around Caleb’s waist and pulling them so close together their noses were touching.

“ _ Last call! Icehaven to Whitestone! _ ”

Molly only had a moment to kiss his husband, but five years together was a long time to get to know Caleb’s lips. It was quick, and warm, and spoke of quiet mornings in bed sharing a tea and horribly cheesy jokes written into romance novels, catching each others eye on the battlefield, and the fierce pride of seeing the other fight their own demons and win. It was Molly’s home.

“Come back safe.”

“When have I ever not?”

And before Molly could even process it, he was standing on the bow of the  _ Trevor’s Regret _ , with a brown paper package in his hands. 

Over the side of the ship he could see Caleb snap Frumpkin into existence and place him on his own head. Frumpkin even conceded to wave his paw at Molly in time with Caleb’s own hand, though the cat did it with a long-suffering expression that Molly recognised as ‘ _ why is my human so lame _ ’. 

Molly looked down at the package in his hands and tore away the paper to reveal— 

A silk scarf.

It was a deep red-purple on one side, with very neat, clearly hand-sewn, embroidery of moons and suns and stars and stripes, as well as many, many other religious iconographies. The reverse was done in a dark blue, with shiny moons done in a meticulous pattern. Molly wound it around his neck, tears already welling up as he ran his hands over the ends of what was, clearly, a reimagining of that beautifully obnoxious old coat he’d worn when he first met the Nein.

Looking back up at Caleb, just as the ship began to pull out of the dock, Molly couldn’t stop the tears falling down his face any more than he could stop the stupidly bright grin he knew he was wearing.

Cupping his hands around his mouth and leaning over the edge as far as possible, Molly yelled, “You’re a sap, Mister Caleb! You’re a sentimental sap and I love you!”

Caleb covered his face with his hands as he giggled, the other hand continuing to wave along with Frumpkin. Just as Molly was about to move into the mist Molly heard a Message spell in the back of his mind:

_ I love you too, Mister Mollymauk. Travel safe. _

  
  



End file.
